NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell College women's volleyball team split a pair of home matches Saturday afternoon at the Athletic Center, falling to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Simmons University in the first match, 3-0, but rebounding to defeat Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) in a non-conference encounter, 3-1.

Simmons defeated Lasell by scores of 25-19, 27-25, and 25-20. The Lasers downed MCLA to the tune of 25-17, 24-26, 25-17, and 25-19. Simmons also swept MCLA in the middle match of the day, 25-11, 29-27 and 25-20. Lasell finishes the day with a 12-14 overall record, 8-4 in the GNAC, while Simmons is now 13-12 overall and 7-4 in conference play and MCLA is 7-15 overall.

The Lasers will play their final regular season home match this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. against non-conference foe Bridgewater State University. The Sharks return home to host non-conference matches Wednesday against Fisher College and Thursday vs. Wheaton College, both at 7:00 p.m. MCLA plays a non-conference match Tuesday at SUNY Cobleskill at 7:00 p.m.

Simmons 3, Lasell 0

Senior Olivia Addington (Orange, Calif.) was the top hitter for Lasell with nine kills, while freshman Kiana Perez (Juncos, P.R.) and junior Kelly Cappitella (East Haddam, Conn.) made six kills apiece. Perez added a team-high 19 digs, and freshman setter Jess Langan (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) was good for 22 assists.

The Sharks used a balanced offense as sophomore Faith Gray-Williams (Las Vegas, Nev.) posted nine kills, freshman Amanda Fortune (Round Rock, Texas) chipped in with seven winners and freshman Reilly Coombs (Deland, Fla.) and sophomore Megan Purser (Miami, Fla.) added six kills apiece. Sophomore Morgan Lauvray (Murrieta, Calif.) recorded a team-best four service aces and 15 digs, and junior setter Kenna McCarthy (Shelter Island, N.Y.) contributed a team-leading 15 assists.

Simmons came out strong in the first set and jumped to an early 8-1 lead. Lasell got back to within five points (15-10) but Simmons maintained the lead before closing out the set, 25-19.

The Sharks had another strong start in the second set with a 5-1 lead, but Lasell battled back to pull ahead, 9-8. The teams traded points throughout the middle of the set, and the Lasers took a 21-16 lead. After calling timeout, Simmons battled back to tie the score at 23-all, and after trading serves, the Sharks prevailed, 27-25.

Simmons had an early 7-3 lead in the third set before Lasell rallied to take an 8-7 advantage. The Lasers took leads of 12-8 and 16-13, but Simmons would not be denied. After an 18-18 tie, the Sharks recorded five unanswered points and went on to win, 25-20.

Lasell 3, MCLA 1

The Lasers had a balanced offense in the victory, with Addington and Perez smashing 12 kills apiece and sophomore Meg Carroll (Douglas, Mass.) adding 11 winners with a team-high .333 attack percentage. Addington and Perez both reached double digit in digs to post double-doubles. Freshman setter Jess Langan (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) distributed the ball and finished with 39 assists, and freshman Meghan Roberts (Newington, Conn.) contributed eight kills and three blocks.

Freshman Ahna Schlaefer (Lee, Mass.) and junior Alyssa Keegan (Levittown, N.Y.) shared team-high honors for MCLA with 11 kills apiece. Sophomore Natasha Stewart (North Andover, Mass.) and junior Celine Manigbas (Floral Park, N.Y.) combined for 29 digs and freshman Kelsey LaFreniere (Becket, Mass.) posted three blocks.

The first set was a two-point contest up until a 13-13 deadlock, when Lasell ran off eight straight points to take a commanding lead before winning 25-17. The Lasers went up 4-0 in the second set before the Trailblazers took eight of the next nine points to take the lead. MCLA didn't relinquish the lead and appeared headed to tie the match with a 24-18 lead, but the Lasers battled back to tie the score at 24-24. The visitors pulled out the set on kills by freshman Reagan Scattergood (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) and Keegan.

The Lasers led most of the third set, pulling away to a six-point lead (18-12) and posting an eight-point victory (25-17). The teams went back and forth with small leads in the fourth set. MCLA led 14-13 but Lasell took the lead for good at 16-15 and slowly pulled away to a 25-19 triumph on a pair of kills by Addington.

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